Shampain
by Weeaboofuckingtrash
Summary: Misa has finally left her highly abusive relationship with Light and isn't sure how she's going to live her life without him until she meets a tattoo artist that offers her comfort. Kiyomi Takada. (Title of work is misspelled intentionally)


Porcelain over purple. The makeup stings against the bruise but Misa wants to get out of here and she wants to leave with her dignity. She doesn't want to look like a victim for the millionth time since she's been in this relationship. Misa's skin was back to a normal hue thanks to the foundation, but the cut on her lip would be another issue on its own. She digs through her makeup; all her shades of pink are too fair to cover it. She squints, skeptical. She had an almost untouched tube of black lipstick from a photoshoot she had done back before Light had made her quit her modelling job. Ignoring that thought, she glides the black on her damaged lips and looks in the mirror. It would have to do.

Misa's eyes dart quickly to the clock sitting on the counter in the bathroom. It's almost noon. Her hands shake as she zips her makeup bag far too quickly and the zipper goes off track. She wants to fix it, but there's no time. Light would be home soon.

Hairspray, skin products, tampons, and the shampoo that she had bought from overseas were grabbed from the bathroom and stuffed into a pink duffle bag. Misa took one last look at the room. She loved that shower curtain, but fuck she didn't have time to take it down. She could always buy it again later. Misa thought of taking some of Light's things just to piss him off, but she didn't want to make things worse just in case he found her somehow. Her chest ached; she didn't want to think about what would happen if he found her.

Misa's clothes were a painful part of leaving. She had an amazing wardrobe but it was impossible to take it all. She felt sad knowing that Light would probably just throw them out. He never did have any respect for the things she enjoyed, it was always about _him_.

She smiled to herself while making sure everything was in place. Misa would never have to worry about Light again. No more nights alone having to stay in while Light was out doing whatever it was he did. She wasn't allowed to go out without him. And if it were an emergency or if Misa needed something, Light would keep constant tabs on her.

The last thing Misa needed to do before leaving was get her money together. It was her life savings, which was nice amount of cash considering her past modelling jobs paid well. She had to keep all of the money in a lock box in the attic under a floor board so that Light wouldn't find it. At one point Misa had a bank account, but Light demanded access to it. Whenever she saved up a large sum, Light would get suspicious of her and start accusing her of trying to leave him. In the past, leaving him wasn't the goal. Misa would have done anything to stay with him.

Misa shook her head. "One concussion is enough for this girl."

It was five minutes until Light would be home, just enough time to slip out without being seen.

Misa hauled her large duffle bag a rolling suitcase out of the apartment and went to get her keys out of her coat pocket. Her hands wrapped around the metal, then squeezed. Why bother locking the door?

The bus stop wasn't far from where she had lived with Light, so the walk wouldn't be so strenuous with having to carry luggage. It was chilly outside so people were too busy burying their heads down in their scarves to look at Misa and wonder why she was walking with so much stuff.

There was a cross walk, but the sign across the street had a glowing white hand that signaled her to halt. So the blonde stood and waited, pulling out her phone. Misa found herself going to text Light about where she was, and her heart sank. She felt like throwing her phone on the pavement. It would be hard to break the habit of telling him where she was at all hours.

In hopes of distracting herself from any thoughts of Light, Misa looked up at the shops around her. A few clothing stores that really weren't her style, a family owned hair salon, and a tattoo parlor were all lined up on the street. Misa's eyes lit up. She always wanted tattoos, but Light thought they were unattractive. A detour couldn't hurt, she thought.

As soon as the sign allowed, Misa made her way to the lineup of shops. She'd never even been in a tattoo shop before, so she read the information outside on the door to make sure they allowed walk-ins.

The door was a little heavy, and Misa felt a little odd carrying her luggage in with her. It couldn't be helped though; she couldn't just leave it out on the street.

A consistent buzzing noise echoed in the room. Misa looked towards the back of the room, seeing the back of a black haired woman and a man getting tattooed. The buzzing stopped once the tattoo artist had heard the bell on the door.

The woman turned around a bit, just enough to see the profile of her face.

"You looking to get something?" It was quite a stern voice.

Misa smiled awkwardly, what was she supposed to say?

"Ah yeah…a tattoo?" Misa felt like hightailing it out the door. She felt so stupid.

Surprisingly, the tattoo artist didn't give her any type of snarky comment. She dipped the needle of her gun back into a small container of ink and started the machine. The buzzing returned.

"Have a seat on that red couch, I'm almost done. I'll be with you in a moment."

Misa was relieved and thankful for the seeming kindness and situated her luggage against the wall as she sat down. She smoothed down her skirt, picking at the hem.

There were tattoo albums on the table in front of her, accompanied by the many frames of tattoo designs on the walls. It dawned on her that she had no idea what she wanted. Misa picked up an album and began flipping through. Nothing really appealed to her on a deeper level, and she didn't want to leave. Misa wanted to enjoy her newfound freedom and this was a good start.

Misa reached into her purse for her compact mirror to check if any of her makeup needed touched up. She opened the black compact that had a white grim reaper on the back and took a glimpse of her face. Her lipstick was fine, but the foundation near her cheek bone needed touched up. She pulled out the bottle and used a small sponge to pat it on. Misa stopped for a moment, feeling devastated that she even had to do this.

It was then that she knew what tattoo she wanted. Misa clicked her compact closed and shoved it back into her purse. Like clockwork, she heard the man fawning over his new tattoo. He was standing in front of a body length mirror admiring his back piece. The tattoo artist looked pretty proud of herself.

The man paid the woman and left, leaving just the two of them in the shop.

The tattoo artist walked over to her work area to clean up.

"So, have you figured out what you want yet?"

Misa got up from the leather couch and walked over to her.

"Yes, actually. I'm just a little nervous that you'll think it's stupid." Misa explained as she watched the tattoo artist dispose of her gloves.

"I've done some pretty stupid tattoos in my day, I'm sure it can't be that bad." The woman turned to Misa now that she was done cleaning up.

Then, Misa saw her face for the first time since she'd entered the shop. Misa couldn't stop staring at her bright red lipstick.

"Uh…I was wanting to get survivor across my collarbones." Misa had said it so smoothly since she was distracted by examining the woman's tattoos. They were all so beautiful. A geisha on her right arm made up the majority of her sleeve. Misa's favorite though so far was the heart on the woman's cheek.

There was a genuine laugh. "That's not stupid, I can do that for you." She could tell that Misa was fascinated by her tattoos, but she didn't want to make her feel bad by telling her that she was staring.

But Misa noticed that she was staring, and quickly stopped so she wouldn't seem rude. "Really? I'm so glad, I appreciate it."

"No problem, I just need you to fill out this paper work and I'll need a copy of your ID before we get started with anything."

A clipboard was handed to Misa after she handed over he ID. The tattoo artist went behind the register desk to make a copy.

Misa rocked on the tip of her boots, feeling anxious. "So, what can I call you? Like your name, I mean."

A smile.

"You can call me Takada. What about you, blondie?" She made a side glance at Misa, looking for her reaction.

Misa sneered. "Ugh, no one's called me blondie since high school. And you have my ID, you should know my name now."

Takada nodded. "Yes, true. But some people go by different names. I was just being considerate."

* * *

After drawing up the lettering, Takada showed Misa the stencil before applying it.

"This look alright to you?" Takada held the paper against Misa's collarbones just enough for her to see how it would be applied.

Misa glowed; the cursive lettering looked just like it did in her head. "Yes, it's perfect!"

Takada nodded, a silent appreciation that Misa wasn't being a difficult client that wanted to change everything.

Misa had changed into a tank top so that Takada had room to work. The stencil was placed against her skin and peeled away to transfer the ink. Takada examined it for placement, and decided it was even.

The machine was picked up and dipped in ink.

"You ready? This is a bit much for a first tattoo. It will hurt you know." Takada thought figured she'd give Misa one more chance to back out.

"I've been through a lot of pain lately, I'm sure I can take it."

Takada squinted at that. Misa's voice was a bit too serious for her liking; the girl had been so upbeat the whole time she'd been in the shop. She decided not to read too much into it.

The needle dug into Misa's skin and began to form the tail of the 'S'. Misa was surprised that it didn't hurt much. It just stung a little.

There was silence for the first few minutes. Misa was too scared to start a conversation out of fear that she might be distracting Takada. But Takada was fine with talking and could tell Misa was feeling awkward.

"So…Misa. Any meaning behind this tattoo?" This was a standard question. It was always a great ice breaker.

Misa could barely feel the needle now. At first, she was going to make something up, but something about Takada's mannerisms made her feel safe opening up. It also helped that she was another woman and that they were alone.

"Well I don't mean to be a downer but…" Misa warned before speaking any further.

Takada raised a perfect eyebrow. "Go on…"

Misa kept her eyes fixed on the heart on Takada's cheek. It serves as a point of focus so she wouldn't be looking everywhere.

"My boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend. I left him today, just before I came into the shop."

Takada stopped the tattoo gun and looked up at Misa. Takada was smart; she could put two and two together. Ex-boyfriend and the word survivor never meant anything good.

"Misa, if you don't want to talk about this you don't need to feel obligated to." There was actual empathy in her eyes.

Misa could feel herself tearing up, but blinked it back. "I'm fine, thank you. I just…I'm not sure what to do now. I mean I have the finances to get my own place. I just don't know how to live without him."

She hated talking like that, because she knows that she doesn't need Light. But part of her relied on him for so much.

Takada smiled bitterly and continued the tattoo. "I'm sure you'll find a way. Let me tell you something that I've noticed in life."

Misa perked up at that, ready to listen. "Oh?"

"When a person leaves, it's usually their abuser that needs them back the most. You're doing a good thing here. I may not know your situation, but I'm proud of you for making the decision to take care of yourself, Miss Amane."

There was silence except for the gentle buzzing. Takada saw a drop land on her black gloves. She knew that Misa was crying, but didn't want to comment on it. She knew it was good for her to let it out. Oddly enough, she wanted to make Misa feel comfortable.

* * *

Misa's tattoo was finished in about an hour and a half. Takada had put more effort than usual into it. She directed Misa to the mirror with her hands.

Her reflection had puffy eyes and her makeup had smeared a bit from the tears. But for once Misa wasn't focusing on her exposed bruises. Misa stared at her tattoo, feeling the urge to cry again.

Takada wrapped an arm around her shoulders, careful to be slow so that Misa wouldn't feel the need to flinch in caution.

"Those better be happy tears, you're getting this tattoo on me." Takada looked at Misa through the mirror, their hair colors clashed in a nice way.

Misa was surprised. "You're giving me this for free?!"

"Well, we are celebrating. This is my gift to you."

Without giving it much thought, Misa hugged Takada tightly and thanked her repeatedly.

Firm arms returned the hug. "You're welcome, Misa. Just make sure you always remember what that tattoo means to you, don't go back to how things were. Live up to that word."

Misa nodded, rubbing the new tears out of her eyes.

"So I guess I should leave now, huh?"

Misa expected an immediate response, but did not get one.

Takada bit the inside of her cheek. She glanced at the bruise on Misa's face.

"I think you might want to touch up your makeup before you leave, I think your crying might have smudged it a bit."

"Oh right, I was just so happy I forgot!" Misa giggled, sniffling.

While Misa did so, Takada picked up one of her business cards and wrote something on the back of it. She walked over to Misa and gently grabbed her hand and opened it. Misa looked at her with confusion.

Takada placed the card in Misa's palm and closed her fingers around it.

"I wrote down my home and cell phone number on this card. If you need anything, we could meet up for coffee or something and talk. Seriously, anytime."

Misa was confused, but it was a good type of confusion. For once she was wondering why someone was being so kind to her instead of wondering why someone was hurting her.

"Thank you, Takada." Misa placed the card in her wallet and gathered her things.

Takada opened the door for her.

"So, I'll see you around?" Takada lifted an eyebrow playfully, letting Misa know she honestly enjoyed her company.

Misa laughed. "Definitely."


End file.
